Wednesday, 28 December 2011

On Boxing Day he is believed to have left his home on a council estate in Mitcham, South London, with other members of ABM with the intention of using the sales crush as cover for shoplifting.

But the gang ran into their rivals and violence that is usually restricted to deprived areas of London boiled over in front of crowds of shoppers, tourists and families.

Sportswear store Foot Locker became the battleground when the college student was knifed through the heart before staggering outside and collapsing in a pool of blood.

Paramedics battled to save him as crowds of spectators filming the incident on mobile phones pushed against police, trying to get a better view of the dying boy.

He died at the scene at around 1.45pm, the latest victim of London’s senseless gang violence. Just hours later, a second man aged 21 was stabbed in the leg on the same street in what is believed to be a separate and unrelated attack.

Last night detectives were examining hours of CCTV footage from around the West End to establish whether there may have been a confrontation earlier in the day between the two gangs.

Officers were also looking at video from a number of stores in Oxford Street to work out the victim’s movements in the hours before the stabbing, as well as examining reports of thefts in the area.

Police said the trigger for the fight remained unclear, although there were reports that a row broke out over which trainers to steal from the shop.

Last night details emerged about how Diarrassouba was sucked into the violent world of gang warfare.

Born in Merton, south London, in 1993 to Muslim parents who came to Britain from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, he was the youngest of three.

Murder weapon? A lock knife found at the scene of the stabbingForensic officers in white boiler suits work on the scene as the investigation gets underway

Friends said Diarrassouba was one of the ‘bright kids’ at Rutlish High School in Merton, before attending South Thames College. His family, who live in a rundown tower-block on the outskirts of Mitcham, south London, were last night too devastated to speak.

But a series of disturbing images and videos seen by the Daily Mail reveal the teenager glorifying violence and smoking what appears to be a ‘blunt’ – slang for a rolled up cigarette containing cannabis.

Known by the nicknames ‘Nutz’ and ‘TunaRaw’, he was an active gang member for at least two years.

Many teenagers who lived near him would avoid him, aware he was part of the ABM gang and could be armed.

Earlier this month, one teenager said he had witnessed Diarrassouba and a fellow gang member attack another group of boys at a house party in Croydon, simply because they were from an opposing faction.

The three victims of the assault were left with bloodied lips and bruised faces.

One associate said: ‘He may well pretend to be an angel at home, but he’s hardly going to go home and threaten his mother. Seydou was a completely different person when he was with his friends, but that’s gang life.

‘Around other members he was a bubbly character, but not when he came across his enemies. That was a different story.

‘You certainly couldn’t trust him. He had a cold and ruthless side to him, and could turn on you in an instant if you were not one of his own.’

Eleven people - including a boy of 16 - have been arrested in connection with the murder, but police are still trying to trace a number of those involved in the attack.

Investigation: Part of the road was cordoned off on one of the busiest shopping days of the year after the stabbing

Crowd control police are seen keeping crowds back while paramedics try to revive the stabbing victim

Police stand guard over a blood-soaked item of clothing and belongings of a second person stabbed on Oxford Street yesterday

Probe: A forensics officers moves the victims belongings, including trainers, clothing and an Oyster card, into a bag for examination following the stabbing